He and his friends are clearly imperialists. Obviously, it’s foolish to claim that Thomas is a fascist. Given charges that Thomas is anti - Semitic and that Sodor is a fascist paradise, Wilton’s assessment is mild. (Thomas and his “friends” often “tease” like this: ” ‘Wake up lazy bones! Do some hard work for a change!”) Its innate conservatism is as obvious as the liberalism of cooperative, solar-panel-building Bob the Builder and his band of hippie hammer-lovers. But wait: Thomas espouses top-down leadership, is male-dominated, punishes dissent, and is uninterested in the mushy sensitivity of its PBS counterparts. Yet something about Thomas and Friends gives liberal parents the creeps.įor example: In 2009, academic Shauna Wilton wrote that Thomas carried a “conservative political ideology.” Her report was derided as whimsy-hating “ political correctness” by conservative media outlets. There’s none of the blatant racism of early Disney Song of the South or religion delivered through talking produce, as in Veggie Tales. Viewers won’t find guns, violence, or anything even approaching a double-entendre. There is something rotten on the Island of Sodor, home to Thomas the Tank Engine.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |